Zundrbarian Gunpowder Weapons
((WIP)) The history of gunpowder weapons in Zundrbar is a very complex set of history, researched by the finest artisans and engineers, many of whom were skilled in the talents of alchemy, understanding how certain materials reacted with one another. The creation of gunpowder was done by Gegnir Gearbeard. The creation was aided by the runemaster, Runolf Runetome, the two alchemists- Hardegon Herb-Beard and Rognvaldr Blackpowder in +1298. The creation was kept secret by Gegnir Gearbeard and the others, as the Church believed that mechanical creations were committing heresy against the titan, Khaz'Goroth, who governed how and why certain things happened, and to a lesser extent- heresy against Norgannon, who governed magical functions. It was only in +1400 that the creation became known after being leaked by Gegnir to the Nonconformists and the underground Zundrbarian Engineering Guild. Gegnir became a wanted dwarf in Zundrbar. Precursors to Gunpowder Before Gunpowder, the majority of weapons used in Zundrbar were steel based melee arms, such as axes, hammers, swords, and maces. In the early years of Zundrbar, from around +0 to +774, bows and arrows were the only form of ranged weaponry that were available. This was not due to church sanctioning, as the majority of the power given to the church occurred during the reign of Bjarn Sootbeard. The crossbow was invented in +726, but was only released to the public in +774. Military use of the crossbow only began around the turn of +800, as a result of stubbornness among the Ranger Corps. The crossbow was a major success, with many precursors to firearm companies being able to carve out niches for themselves in this new industry. Ultimately, the invention of the crossbow was one of the larger technological advancements made in Zundrbar that led to the Nonconformist Reformation, along with the invention of Gunpowder in +1298 and the Age of Science from +1300 to +1458. Early experimentation (+1400 to +1450) Early experimentation with gunpowder began with a study on gunpowder and its relation to explosives. These experiments were hidden by the Runesmithing Guild, which had a long-standing conflict with the Church of the Titans due to the way in which each worshipped the Titans. The two alchemists who invented gunpowder- Hardegon Herb Beard and Rognvaldr Blackpowder both perished during the +1300s. Hardegon was persecuted by the Church of the Titans, and executed in +1328. Rognvaldr committed suicide by jumping off of Baldrick's Peak, while being chased by church militia to be burned at the stake in +1334. Hardegon's son- Thoromir, was hidden by the father of Magnus Sootbeard- Gunnar Sootbeard, as well as Rognvaldr's sons- Steinarr and Raudulf. Thoromir, Steinarr, and Raudulf began experimenting when they reached of age in +1400. With the aid of some observers who had witnessed the creation of gunpowder, as well as readers of some of Rognvaldr's texts. Thoromir began experimenting with how gunpowder could be used in a method like the crossbow, in which exploding balls could be shot forward. These balls were named, "Roedekkoegel"- Unstable Spheres in the common tongue. Thoromir invented the bullet, however he perished during the Redpox plague before he could complete his idea on the rifle, which he called the Gewahr. The Runesmithing Guild, along with the Sootbeard Clan, provided protection for Thoromir, and ultimately- Thoromir was one of the leading inspirers of Magnus Sootbeard. Steinarr was mainly interested in how this new explosive could be applied to mining. These experiments were done in the Sootbeard Tomb, located underneath the house of Gunnar Sootbeard, which connected with the Sootbeard Manor. There is a theory that one of Steinarr's experiments was discovered by Bjarn Sootbeard, and that Sven Sootbeard ordered the infecting of Bjarn Sootbeard with redpox, or even worse- Steinarr's experiment killed Bjarn Sootbeard. However, this was mainly Church propaganda during the Nonconformist Reformation, and the majority of Zundrbarians (>98% of the population) saw the folly that the Church promoted was against the word of the Titans. Raudulf was mainly interested in using the gunpowder for the creation of larger weapons, from which he received some inspiration from Thoromir. He wanted to create a similar system to Roedekkoegel, but far larger. He called his unstable spheres "Grossroedekoegel," or "Large-unstable spheres." Raudulf invented the first cannonball in Zundrbar, and was able to invent the cannon. Raudulf was by far the most successful of the three individuals. Steinarr's experiments resulted in his death one day (which there are also many theories towards), Thoromir only was able to invent one part of his experiment, while Raudulf finished his entire invention. Raudulf's invention was later named the "Raudulf Gewahr,"- Raudulf's Guns. The cannons were improved upon by engineers who followed, among them- Largs Sootbeard (younger brother of Sven Sootbeard) and Rorek Sootbeard (Sven's eldest son- sent with Largs Sootbeard to Thelsamar). Early Creations (+1450 to +1500) The cannon started to become mass produced under the secret orders of Gunnar Sootbeard and the Runesmithing Guild. The Runesmiths permitted the hidden society of engineers to utilize their forges, deep within the mountain range known as "The Vaults." The mass production of cannons was studied in depth by the engineer- Saeming Sawdustbeard. Saeming was a gnome, and one of the few "major" engineers who came of Gnomish descent. Saeming Sawdustbeard continued on Thoromir's design for the Roedekkoegel, and was able to create the first projectile, however the first rifle happened to be a musket. The musket was largelly inefficient, due to the fact it would have to be reloaded, which would often take a very long time. The musket was very complex on the inside, making repairs very challenging. Saeming perished while attempting to kill the high priest of the Church of the Titans- Loki Sunderhand. Saeming succeeded in wounding one of Loki's hands beyond repair, however he was killed while reloading, when a group of ram cavalry attacked him in his believed-hidden position. In +1450, an engineer by the name of Guthrum Gunbeard invented the lock system and created the Flintlock Rifle. The Flintlock was a rifle that performed far better than the muskets due to its easier reloading system. Saeming's descendant- Saemus, worked wiht Guthrum using his ancestor's creations, and it was Saemus who invented the first Flintlock pistol. The Cannon (+1400) The Cannon was another independent gunpowder experiment that trickeled down in its own way, analogous to Saeming, Grim, and Kylan's interventions in the firearm. The Cannon first created by Raudulf was mass produced, until there were one thousand cannon pieces held in the Sootbeard Tomb. After the amount was created, an engineer by the name of Raknar began to study how the system could be improved. He began by decreasing the size of the cannonball, as a major problem was, when the cannon was tested- the cannonballs would often hit the ground before they even reached their target as a result of the large amount of weight. Furthermore, the koegels were changed from being made out of steel to being made out of lead. Lead was a cheap and near inexhaustable resource. Lead was a waste mineral found across the majority of mines in Zundrbar. Lead proved to be a useful material for a while, until a large amount of smiths in the cannonworks began to suffer from lead poisoning from breathing in chips of lead while forging the cannons. Hergeir Hurjolfsson created the Thorium method, and designed bullets made out of Thorium. Thorium was another common metal, and was rarely used in Zundrbar. The remaining cannon balls were decreased into smaller more numerous sizes, and used as ranged attacking beads, as engineers would often throw these when the church of the Titans would have a parade around Zundrbar celebrating a certain holiday. Hergeir Hurjolfsson may have been the one to create the thorium method in +1404, but in +1406, Grimr Ornirsson was the first engineer to make a munitions foundry in Zundrbar using the thorium method. The munitions foundry was built in a small underground area of the Vaults, however as time progressed and more foundries were built, it became harder and harder for the Runesmithing Guild and the Sootbeard Clan to keep the operations in disguise. News leaked in late +1499 that Gunnar Sootbeard was aiding the engineers, and in Bjarn's dying breaths, he ordered the execution of all involved individuals. Hergeir and Grimr were both among the dead, including Gunnar Sootbeard. The cannons were never discovered, but only a small amount were able to be used during the Nonconformist Reformation, as geomancers of the Runesmithing Guild sealed the vault and later collapsed the vault holding the cannons, to hide the secret of their involvement. The "Lock" system (+1450) Dynamite (+1460) The Mortar (+1465) Early usage (Goblin Wars, Nonconformist Reformation- +1500 to +1600) Later usage (Colonial Wars +1600 to +1750, Battle of Zundrbar +1800) Modern Usage (Second War, Colonial Wars, Angerfang Insurrection) Zundrbarian Engineering Guild Munitions Factories Current Production Write the second section of your page here. Category:Zundrbar Category:Technology Category:Weapons